The Born Family Reunion

My family has had a reunion every (well almost every) June for many years. The original Born's were three sisters and one brother and their spouses. This year 2010 we only have two sisters left. One sister (my Mom) and her brother and their spouses are gone as are the spouses of the surviving sisters. Both remaining sisters are in their 90's and very spry. This year we met at Towering Pines in a forest preserve. It has been several years since I have been able to attend and the changes in the family are dramatic. Cousins and their families have grown beyond my wildest thoughts. I felt almost like a stranger, but it didn't take long to identify who went with whom. Everyone brings a dish to share and whatever entree they want for themselves. I should have remembered that an entree was not necessary given the spread on the serving table.

My dish to share was one I found in a Weight Watchers hand out. My entree was special for me.

Strawberry-Quinoa Salad
Greek Isle Chicken

The salad is very pretty and quite simple. The Quinoa is cooked and cooled. Sliced strawberries and thinly sliced English cucumber are tossed with it. A sesame-ginger dressing is mixed in. The mixture is served over baby greens which have been lightly dressed with the same dressing. It was very well received. I was surprised now many knew the grain. Not much left, but will have some for lunch this week.

The chicken is also very simple. A boneless skinless breast is sprinkled with Greek seasoning, browned in EVOO and removed while the sauce is cooked. A mixture of garlic, sliced grape tomatoes, oregano and pitted green olives makes up the sauce. After it is gently cooked the chicken is placed on top and finished off in the oven.


I will enjoy this too the rest of the week. All in all a nice week end. It was good to see family I have not seen in a long time and catch up with family news.


After hearing and reading about the oil spill in the Gulf, I have decided to do a menu featuring Gulf seafood for next week. One of my favorite chefs, John Besh has done a lovely cookbook "My New Orleans" I expect some of what I do will come from this book.